The Netherlands wants Iceland to repay the €1.3bn it owes The Hague in connection with the collapse of the Icesave bank before it joins the European Union, report various Dutch newspapers on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, Holland, together with all the other 26 European Union countries, welcomes Iceland’s application to join the EU.
The Dutch stance was made public by Tom de Bruijn, the Netherlands permanent representative at the EU, following a meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Brussels on Monday, according to media reports. De Bruijn was standing in for foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen.
Last week, it emerged that a majority of Icelandic MPs oppose paying back the loan made by the Netherlands so that Iceland can compensate Dutch savers for their losses in the internet bank Icesave.
Meanwhile ANP news service reports that almost 9,000 Dutch savers who had their assets frozen when Icesave collapsed last year have not applied for compensation. Most of these lost relatively small amounts. They are eligible for a combined compensation of €233,000.
In total Dutch account holders with the Icelandic bank lost €1.6bn.